2004 British Grand Prix
11 July |number = 724 |officialname = LVII Foster's British Grand Prix |circuit = Silverstone Circuit |location = Northamptonshire, UK |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 5.141 |laps = 60 |distance = 308.355 |pole = Kimi Räikkönen |polenation = FIN |poleteam = |poletime = 1:18.233 |fastestlap = 1:18.739 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 14 |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Kimi Räikkönen |secondnation = FIN |secondteam = |third = Rubens Barrichello |thirdnation = BRA |thirdteam = }} The 2004 British Grand Prix, otherwise known as the LVII Foster's British Grand Prix, was the eleventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK, on 11 July 2004.'Britain 2004: Schumacher supreme at Silverstone.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 11/07/2004), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/49484/1/britain-2004-schumacher-supreme-at-silverstone, (Accessed 22/12/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher secure his tenth victory of the season as he continued his dominant streak to a seventh World Championship crown. There had been a surprise result in qualifying as an out of form Kimi Räikkönen claimed pole position, beating Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello. Jenson Button gave home fans hope by claiming third for , while Schumacher would start from fourth having reportedly opted for a higher fuel load. Räikkönen's sudden strong form continued through the start of the race, with the #6 sprinting clear to establish an early lead. Behind, it would be grid order for Barrichello, Button and Schumacher, for the fabled launch control systems on Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso's cars failed to dent the front of the field. Indeed, it was a fairly tame start to the race overall, with Räikkönen building a 4.3 second lead in the opening three laps with a succession of new lap records. Behind, Giancarlo Fisichella provided the main entertainment as he sprinted up the field from last place in the pitlane to seventeenth with a series of excellent moves. As the race wore on the Bridgestone shod cars, primarily the two Ferraris, began to pick up the pace, with the cooler conditions in Silverstone taking their tyres out of their favoured operation window. Indeed, Barrichello was able to exchange a series of new lap records with Räikkönen as he slowly clawed the McLaren back in, while Button did his best to keep pace with Schumacher on his tail. Räikkönen duly led the top three into the pits for the first of their three stops a few laps later, leaving Schumacher on his own at the head of the field. In clear air the German ace set a series of new lap records to demolish Räikkönen's advantage, with the Finn himself having emerged from his stop behind a stubborn Takuma Sato. Sato's intervention allowed Ferrari to swap Schumacher onto a two-stop, and hence ended any hopes of the #1 Ferrari being challenged, for it emerged from the pits well ahead of Räikkönen's McLaren. Furthermore, Sato's antics had allowed Button to jump ahead of Barrichello, and hence allowed the Brit to follow Räikkönen right onto Schumacher's tail. McLaren, hoping to force Ferrari's hand, opted to pit Räikkönen the moment he caught the #1 Ferrari, although the German ace was not to be fazed. Instead, the Ferrari team focused their attention on Barrichello, and a swift stop allowed the Brazilian to jump back ahead of Button to secure third behind Räikkönen. Furthermore the final round of stops would have no effect on the order, for they came amid a Safety Car period caused by Trulli. Indeed, a suspension failure on the #7 Renault had seen the Italian's car throw itself off the circuit at Bridge, with a barrel roll seeing bits of Renault scattered across the gravel. After a four lap pause the race resumed, with Schumacher easing away to claim his tenth victory, two seconds clear of Räikkönen. Barrichello, meanwhile, would escape Button's attentions late on to complete the podium, with the Brit himself just fending off Juan Pablo Montoya. The remaining points went to Fisichella, David Coulthard, and Mark Webber. Background Michael Schumacher's march to a seventh World Championship continued in France with his ninth win of the campaign, leaving the German ace just ten shy of the 100 point mark. Teammate Rubens Barrichello had lost more ground, now facing a 22 point gap to the German ace, while Jenson Button in third left Magny-Cours 42 points away. Jarno Trulli had closed in on the Brit in the fight for third, while Fernando Alonso had inched closer to their fight in fifth. In the Constructors Championship another strong weekend for had put the Scuderia onto 158 points, and hence ensured they still had double the points of their closest challengers. Indeed, left their home race, on the 25th anniversary of their maiden victory, on 79 points, and had hence all but given up hope of challenging for the crown. They were hence working to consolidate second ahead of , with the Anglo-Japanese alliance having broken clear of in fourth. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Q1 Report Q2 Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Alonso, Bruni, Baumgartner and Fisichella were all handed ten place grid penalties for changing their engines. *† Panis was handed a five place grid penalty for impeding Massa. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * Marc Gené made his 36th and final Grand Prix start. * Giorgio Pantano entered his tenth race.'2004 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2004&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 23/12/2019) * 80th career victory for Michael Schumacher.'11. Britain 2004', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2004/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 23/12/2019) * secured their 177th win as a constructor and engine supplier. * Rubens Barrichello claimed a record 22nd third place finish. Standings Ten wins equated to 100 points for Michael Schumacher leaving the British Grand Prix, with the German ace charging towards his seventh World Championship crown at an alarming rate. Indeed, teammate and closest challenger Rubens Barrichello left Silverstone 26 points behind, while third placed Jenson Button was in danger of falling out of the "fight" completely. Otherwise it had been a productive day for Button as he had inched further away from Jarno Trulli, while Fernando Alonso retained his top-five status. As their lead driver marched to the Drivers Championship so too did , whom left the UK with 174 points to their name. were forming the closest challenge to the Scuderia, although their non-score meant that the gap between the top two was up to 95 points, the equivalent of four race weekend's worth of points. Instead, the French squad were in a fight for second, with having inched closer to twelve behind the tricolour registered squad. Only point scoring drivers are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:British Grand Prix Category:2004 Grands Prix